The Return of Tamahome
by Samarama
Summary: Tamahome is the son of Taka and Miaka, and after 16 years it seems that fate has put him down to enter The Universe of the Four Gods.
1. The Escape

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yuugi, I only own the plot.**

**I am writing this with my friend and we hope that you enjoy the story.**

"Mom!? Dad!?"

"What!?"

"I'm hungry!"

"I swear. You have your mother's stomach."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Taka?"

"I'm kidding Miaka!" joked the guy named Taka.

He pulled at Miaka and planted a kiss on her lips.

"Ew! Gross! You can warn your son when you guys are about to do that, you know?"

Miaka was the first to pull away. "I'm sorry Tamahome," she said to her son.

"Are you excited about your big day tomorrow champ?" asked his father Taka.

"Don't call me that dad!"

"You are so lame Taka! He's turning sixteen tomorrow! My little baby boy!" Miaka caressed his face and pinched his cheek.

"MOM!"

Tamahome runs out of the room embarrassed and goes into his room.

"We're just kidding!" exclaimed Taka and Miaka in unison.

Tamahome loved his parents. He was just another happy ordinary teenager. He was popular; after all he had inherited his father's looks and unfortunately his mom's gullibility.

Tamahome went to his bed and stared at the star painted ceiling that his dad had painted with the seven constellations of Suzaku. At least that was what his father had told him. Ever since he was little his dad loved to tell him stories about a far away world where heroes from four places would collide with each other for power. But it was all bull shit in his mind. His parents were always playing around with him like best friends. Tamahome rolled around on his bed and instantly fell asleep, waiting for his big day tomorrow.

* * *

"Happy Birthday to youuuu," sang Miaka entering Tamahome's room. "Happy Birthday dear Tamaaaaa."

"Wake up squirt!" roared Taka, jumping on top of his son and tickling him.

"Ow, ow, okay, I'm up dad! I'm up!" laughed Tamahome. "What time is it?"

"It's almost noon! I don't know how you can sleep so much!" exclaimed Miaka, "You haven't even eaten breakfast!"

"Not everyone had to eat seven times a day, Miaka," Taka said taking a seat on Tamahome's bed.

"Actually dad, I am kinda hungry."

"Well then, why don't I go make you-" started Miaka.

"No! Taka yelled. "_I'll _make him something to eat!" He turned away from Miaka, "What do you want? Pancakes? Eggs and bacon?"

"It's time for lunch! This is no time to eat breakfast!" cried Miaka.

"Oh please… Like you're one to talk…"

Tamahome's stomach growled, " Can I have pancakes, some onigiris, and… a sandwich?"

Taka and Miaka looked at each other. Taka got up, "That's all?"

"Yeah," Tamahome looked through his closet for some clothes and started changing.

"Are you sure?" Taka yelled walking out of the room.

"Yeah," replied Tamahome.

"Actually, you think that can make me some-" started Miaka yet again.

"No! Today is all about Tamahome not you…"

Tamahome followed his parents to the kitchen and saw a Happy Birthday banner above the table and five presents.

"Your mom and I decided to have a competition on who can give you the better present. Two of them are from each of us, one is from my parents, another from Yui, and the last from your uncle, Keisuke." Taka said as he flipped a pancake and looked for some sandwich bread.

"Yes but we all know that I will win! I mean I am his mother and I do know him best!" Miaka called out from the cupboard where she was looking for some ingredients.

"Yeah right! A boy is always closer to his father…" Tamahome smiled affectionately at his parents as they continued arguing. They acted like such kids… He always wondered how they met. How could two people that argue so much fall in love? Some of his friends explained how their parents got together but every time he asked it would seem like whatever they were saying was all a lie. Supposedly, he met her while he was in college and she was in high school. Keisuke, Miaka's brother, had actually been the hookup. They would look at each other closely afterward and said that it was love at first site.

"-home…"

"Huh?" Tamahome shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Aren't you going to open one of your presents?" Miaka shoved one of the presents in front of his face, her red hair bounced as she jumped toward him.

_To: Tamahome_

_Happy 16__th__ Birthday! Hope you have a wonderful day! See you soon!_

_Yui and Tetsuya_

Tamahome looked at the small box wrapped in blue wrapping paper. He tore at the paper and in front of him was a brown box with a lid. He opened it and looked inside where a P.D.A. lay.

"Wow," he whispered. He took it out of the box and showed it to his mom. Taka put the pancakes, onigiris, and three sandwiches on the table.

"That's some gift, but it isn't even close to mine!" boasted Miaka.

"Sure, whatever," Taka rolled his eyes and grabbed some food. Three presents later and all the food gone left only his parents' gifts.

One was huge while the other was incredibly small. His mom smiled a brilliant smile as she handed him the bigger present.

Inside was the thing he had been bothering both is parents for these past six months. It was a laptop along with a small copier/scanner.

"Mom! I can't believe you got it! I thought you weren't going to get until next year!" He jumped out of his chair and hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much!"

Miaka laughed and hugged back, "I love you! Happy Birthday!"

Taka shook his head, "Hello? My gift is next!" He passed the small box to his son.

"I had one of these not too long after you were born, but I stopped wearing it. And I got you a new one."

"A pair of boxers?" asked Miaka.

"No!" exclaimed Taka.

Tamahome opened the box and gasped. Inside was a silver chain holding a silver encrusted bird. In its eyes were small red rubies, its wings opened and head turned to the sky. It looked like a phoenix- type bird-

"Suzaku," said Taka.

"Wow dad. Thank you," replied Tamahome speechless.

"Let me put it on you, son," Taka said carefully taking out the necklace and placing it around Tamahome's neck.

Tamahome touched the bird as it slid down his chest. "Thank you dad," said Tamahome, still amazed at his gift.

"Well… It seems like I win!"

"Yeah, yeah whatever," Miaka grumbled. She looked at her watch and giggled, "We still have one more present for you."

"Yup, it's in the living room," smiled Taka.

"Uh… Okay…" said Tamahome. He turned around, safely tucked his necklace underneath his shirt, and walked out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"SURPRISE!" yelled out a crowd of people in the living room. The room was decorated with banners and balloons.

"Oh crud! You guys almost gave me a heart attack!" laughed Tamahome.

Both of his parents walked in with bright smiles on their faces. "Are you happy?" asked Miaka.

"Yeah!' exclaimed Tamahome and rushed to his visitors.

"Our little boy is all grown up," Miaka said tearing up a little.

"Yeah, he is," Taka said putting his hand around her waist. "We finally have the happy life we wanted."

Tamahome was flooded by a wave of hugs, kisses, and pats on the back. His grandpa and grandma were there (Taka's parents), his uncle, Keisuke, Tetsuya, Yui, and a bunch of his friends were there.

"Hey Tama!" greeted one of Tamahome's friends.

"Wow Sei, I can't believe you brought all our friends from school!"

"Brought them? Dude, they all found out about your party. The girls are all crazy about you and wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Hey, Tamahome!" giggled a girl leading a group of others. "Were you surprised?" she asked shoving him playfully.

"Yeah, I was. Thanks for coming Rukia," grinned Tamahome. He didn't like it when the girls confessed their "undying" love for him when they didn't even know him. Rukia had been on of the brave few to talk to him, and they had actually become pretty good friends.

The rest of the girls threw jealous looks at Rukia as she handed Tamahome a birthday card. "I'm sorry. I couldn't think of what to get you…"

"I love it Rukia. Thank you," Tamahome smiled his dashing smile again. "Let's get this party started!"

Everyone was having fun. Tetsuya and Keisuke had gotten into a little dispute on bathing suit models and had accidentally dropped the drinks on the food. Even so, people were having a good time and Tamahome was happy to be with his parents, and friends.

"Hey I'll be back, I have to go to the restroom!" Tamahome shouted. Tamahome did his business and on his way back to his party, he saw a shadow coming from his dad's office. He opened the door discretely, and right in the middle of the room stood Rukia.

"Oh, hey Tamahome."

"Rukia, what are you doing here?"

"I thought that this was the restroom. When I looked in I saw all these books and I guess I was just curious," she said shyly.

"Oh." Tamahome starts looking around awkwardly.

"Yeah. Tama, there's something I've been wanting to tall you lately," she said edging closer to him.

"W- What is it?" he stammered, not liking where this was going.

Rukia slyly leaned up to his ear and whispered, "I love you."

Tamahome could feel his face get red, but before he had time to say anything, Rukia pressed her lips onto his.

He pushed her away and cried out, "What are you doing Rukia!? We're just friends!" He backed away and was stopped by the bookshelf behind him.

"I didn't have the nerve to tell you how I felt… until now," she said leaning in yet again for another kiss.

"I don't want to be here," Tamahome thought looking at Rukia's face with her closed eyes and pushed out lips.

Sweat trickled down his face. All of a sudden he saw a light flashing from a book in the bookshelf below his hand. A single touch to the book, and the whole room was flooded in light. Tamahome shut his eyes tightly to keep from looking at the blinding light. He opened his eyes and turned around staring at the tree behind him. His eyes widened and panic started to take over him. All around him was a field full of trees and grass.

"Where am I?"

**Hey people! Have an idea where he's at? (wink, wink) Bet you're dying to know what happens next, huh? Hope you enjoyed and review!**

**Ciao **

**Samarama**


	2. Tamaboy?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yuugi, I only own this plot.**

This is me, Samarama

**And this is my friend, jitterbug393. **

That way you can tell us apart. Enjoy the story!

**Hi…enjoy the story.**

Rukia looked around the office. Why did Tamahome run out of the room like that? She thought that he had felt the same way about her since they were always together. She heard footsteps coming from outside of the room.

"-home are you in here?" asked Miaka peeking her head into the office. She looked surprised to see Rukia there. "What are you doing here?"

Rukia felt a little nervous. What could she say?_ "I wanted to corner your son here and make out with him." _Yeah right. "I… Uh…Um… I-I thou-"

The door opened again and Taka came bounding into the room.

"Did you find him?" he asked. He looked around the room and his eyes landed on a book on the floor.

Miaka looked, shook her head, and asked Rukia why she was in here again.

"I-I thou-thought this w-was the r-restroom…"

Taka raised an eyebrow, that couldn't be true. Rukia had been here earlier and helped decorate the party and knew where everything was. She was lying but there was no time to find out the truth.

"Did you touch the book?"

Rukia gave him a questioning glance and looked down at a book by her foot. "No, it must have fallen when Taka left the room."

Taka and Miaka looked at each other with fear in their eyes, "He was here?" Miaka asked.

Rukia nodded. Taka rushed to the book, but didn't dare to open it.

"Lets go search back through the house honey," Miaka responded to Taka's thoughts.

"Rukia, tell everyone that the party is over. Tell them that Tamahome got ill," Taka said to Rukia with a demanding look.

"Yes, sir," she responded and hurried out of the room.

Both Taka and Miaka ran upstairs where the bedrooms where located.

"Tamahome! Where are you?!" Taka yelled, tightly gripping the book he held in his hands.

"Where the hell am I?" thought Tamahome. He made a whole 360 turn and stared in bewilderment at the field around him. What was that light in his dad's office? Where _is_ his dad's office?

Tamahome startes to walk and nervously began to run. "HELLO? IS ANYONE HERE?" he yelled out into the field of trees. The grass in the field came up to his knees, and the trees where filled with lush apples. "HE-aaaah!" he screamed tripping on something and falling flat on his face. He looked around and felt a groan coming from his feet. He turned around and was face-to-face with a man. The man had fang-like teeth, long earrings, and bright orange hair. His gaze was still on the floor, as he looked up, an incredibly huge yawn came out of his mouth. "Is it time for lunch?" he asked with a funny accent. He rubbed his eyes and finally looked at the person who had tripped over him.

"T-Tama-boy?" he gasped.

"Huh?" said Tamahome confused. At that exact moment, he was engulfed into a shining light. He closed his eyes and felt himself falling down…down…down…THUMP. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was back in his own bed.

"Tamahome! Where are you?!" he heard his father yell. He quickly got out of his bed and rushed to the door.

"I'm right here dad. What's up?" he replied trying to put on the most innocent-looking face he had.

Both Miaka and Taka came running up to him, "What do you mean 'What's up?' Where have you been?" Taka asked worriedly.

Tamahome gulped. They wouldn't belive if he told them what had just happened. He didn't even believe. What if he had just passed out and dreamt it all? "I think I got a fever. I came up to my room and fell asleep. I'm sorry. I don't know how long it-"

"You disappeared for half an hour! We had no idea where you were. I guess it's okay now," Miaka smiled and hugged her son.

Tamahome's eyes fell on the book his dad was holding and wondered if that was the book that his hand had touched. "Dad what's that book you're holding?"

**Samarama wants to be mean and just leave it there… so yeah… that's it for today…**

If you don't review, I, we might not write anymore…

**She's lying don't believe her…**


	3. Ling

**Hey you guys! It took a while to get this chapter up, but I have a good excuse! I wrote the chapter and my teacher deleted the file…so me and jitterbug had to rewrite again….oh well. I do admit the first time we wrote it came out better than this but what else can I do? I hope you enjoy nevertheless.**

Taka looked down at the book he had been clenching. The Universe of the Four Gods. The book that had brought Miaka and him together at a very costly price. Should he spill it out and tell Tamahome the truth? Taka seemed to be fighting a conflict in his head, and Miaka, looking at his troubled face, responded to Tamahome's question.

"We picked it up after we went to check if you were in your dad's study. Suprisingly we found that cute girl Rukia. Who knows what she was doing there though. I think she has the hots for you-"

"MOM!" cried out Tamahome outraged beet-red face. He took one last look at his parents, sighed, and turned around to his room. "I'll be asleep if anyone needs me."

Miaka smiled as Taka left the room and turned her attention to Taka. "Are you okay honey?" she asked taking his hand and gently squeezing it.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look okay. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," responded Taka vacantly and releasing Miaka's grasp; heading downstairs.

Miaka sighed and followed him into the living room. He was seated on the sofa with his head held up by his hands. The book was on his lap and looked up harmlessly at Taka. Miaka sat down next to Taka and swiftly grabbed the book. Taka turned his head and looked at his wife with a confused expression. Miaka opened the book and read, "_Herein contains the story of a young lady and her quest to gather the seven constellations of Suzaku together_. _And if you the esteemed reader, should read to the story's end, the spell within this book shall bestow upon you the powers of the heroine, and grant you your wish. For indeed the moment the page is turned, the story will become reality._" Miaka looked at Taka and went back to the book, turning the page. She could sense her husband's nervousness and he inhaled and waited for Miaka to continue reading. "_Despite the shaking in her knees, the young lady lunges at the slavers. At that very moment, a gallant young man who bore the character for demon on his forehead saved the two young ladies… _Pht. Gallant… Yeah right. He asked us for money afterwards…" Taka exhaled with a laughter and leaned over to hug Miaka.

"I'm sorry for making you worry. We've just fought so hard for what we have. I thought Tamahome had entered the book. I would've died if he did-" Taka seized his talk and turned his head around the room. A squeak. He had heard a squeaking sound coming from this very room.

"What's wrong Taka?"

"I don't know. I heard a squeak-"

At that very moment the door opened and in comes a very frustrated-looking Yui and happy Tetsuya.

"Hey guys. The party ended pretty quickly but we finished taking everyone home," said Yui sitting next to Miaka.

"Miaka! Your brother is pretty hard-headed, but I won the swim suit model disagreement," Tetsuya looked at Taka and Miaka's direction. "What were you guys doing?" he asked with a grin and arched eyebrows.

"Reminiscing."

* * *

Tamahome was feeling a little feverish from all that he had just heard. Thank God Tetsuya and Yui came when they did! Tamahome looked down at the necklace his father had given him.

The rubies glinted in the dark and he couldn't help but feel enchanted by them. Tamahome didn't know how long he had been laying there in his bed. Yui and Tetsuya had already left because he had heard their car leaving. Finally he tore his eyes away from his father's gift and put his pajamas on. He crept slowly towards the door and opened it gently. Tamahome peered into the hall and saw that it was dark and empty; his parent's room was closed off.

It was decided. He was going to find out what that book was and what the hell The Universe of the Four Gods was. Was it a strip club? Why hadn't his parents ever mentioned it? What did they mean 'he didn't go inside it?' He tip toed to the office and turned the light on hoping his dad at least the book back. He looked through all the book shelves and shuffled through his dad's stuff. Damn, not here. Tamahome turned the lights back off and went towards his parent's bedroom. He twisted the door knob slowly and pushed the door open. Soft snores echoed through the room and Tamahome and headed towards the bed. He went towards the nightstand and saw the old tattered book. 'Yes!' He reached for the book and as his hand barely touched it he was engulfed in the bright light once again.

This time Tamahome didn't land in a field of trees, but a stand full of vegetables. He crashed in to the stand, completely knocking all of them down, and fell to the ground groaning. He opened his eyes and saw every eye turned to him at the market. His face turned a bright red as he quickly looked down to see what had softened his fall. 'Cabbages?' he thought picking on up.

"Hey! You've completely destroyed my produce! I'll turn you in to the soldiers," exclaimed a man, apparently the owner of the stand. "Come with me!" he said aggressively picking up Tamahome from he ground.

"Stop it that hurts!" he complained.

"You're not from around here, you are from ?" asked the man closing in on Tamahome's face and getting angrier by the second.

Tamahome looked down on his green-stained pajamas. It just added more redness to his face. People around him had started to whisper and seemed amused by the spectacle.

"No… I'm from To-"

"Hey just what do you think you are doing with that boy!" a voice called out from behind him.

The man and Tamahome turned to look who called them out. It was a girl who looked no older than fifteen, standing on the top of the remains of the man's destroyed stand, her hands on her hips. She had light brown hair that fell down to her waist in a ponytail and had hazel eyes with little specs of green. Everyone stood in awe but before they could say anything, she jumped from the stand, grabbed Tamahome's hand, and both fled.

"Hey! Officer! Officer! That boy is a thief!" exclaimed the man in the distance. The strange girl kept on pulling Tamahome, making him run faster. They had finally made it out of the market. Tamahome pulled his hand roughly away and stopped. The mysterious girl skidded to a stop and gave him an incredulous look.

"Why are you stopping?"

"What do you mean why am I stopping? You just grabbed me and took off running!"

"Yes, well someone needed to save you! So I thought this was a good way to make money."

"Money!? You did that for money? What kind of person are you? Saving people and then asking for money?"

The girl folded her arms across her chest, "A person who needs to make a living. You admit it then?" the girl started walking back on along the street.

Tamahome ran to catch up to her, "Admit what?"

"That you needed saving…" The girl walked up to a small hut and motioned him inside.

"I didn't admit that! And I did not need saving! I could have handled that all by myself, thank you!" Tamahome entered the hut where he saw a small fire pit, some pots and, a bed.

"Yeah right! That guy was already taking you to get arrested!" She spun around and looked straight at his face, "That cabbage in your hand would do great as payment!"

Tamahome looked at his hands and sure enough he was holding a cabbage in his right hand. He blushed scarlet and handed her the vegetable, "Uh… so what's your name?"

"Ling. My name is Ling."

"Ling? That sounds like a guy's name…"

Ling glared at Tamahome, "Oh, yeah? What's your name 'Mr. Perfect?'"

"Tamahome."

"Tamahome? That sounds familiar… So what do you want to eat… Tamahome?"

Tamahome gave her suspicious glance, "What's the catch?"

"Catch? There is no catch…" Ling smirked evilly.

"Liar."

"I'm not lying! Damn it!" She threw her hands up into the air. "Gosh no one can be nice there days, I swear!"

"That can't be cause-" Tamahome felt light surrounded him once more, 'Uh oh,' he thought.

"It's weird, I just met you, but I can easily talk to you-" Ling turned to face Tamahome with two bowls of cabbage soup, but he was no longer there.

Tamahome hit the floor with a loud thump. He looked nervously around the room. His parent's room. He picked himself off the floor and hesitantly touched the book by the nightstand. No light. He grabbed the book and glanced apprehensively as his father shifted in his sleep. Tamahome was afraid of waking his parents up. What would they think of him being there? he quickly walked out of the room and into his own room.

He took of his dirty pajamas and stood there in his boxers, pondering what to put on. He grabbed some jeans from the floor and stayed shirtless as he laid on his bed with the book on his lap.

"The Universe of the Four Gods," he breathed. He opened the cover and on the first page his eyes immediately fell on a bird, "Suzaku," he whispered holding his own necklace. He looked at the three other pictures: Byakko, Seiryu, and Genbu. 'How strange,' he thought as he turned the page.

* * *

"_I just overheard something about a girl wearing funny clothes nearby!" said one of two villagers gossiping while eating. _

"_I heard this rumor that she was looking for some boy with a demon on his forehead."_

"_Is that true??"_

_The gallant young man from before appeared before the two gossiping villagers with a chopsticks in his mouth, "Is she a girl in a short skirt with her hair done in buns, or did she have short hair?"_

"_How would I know? Who're you anyway??"_

"_Oh! I'm sorry. If you'll take one of these. My card." The man handed the villagers both a card._

… blah, blah, blah, blah_…_

_The girl wrapped her arms around the young man and cried, "I was so scared!! So scared!"_

… yada, yada, yada_…_

"_If you could fetch a couple of gems from the Emperor's crown, I'd be rolling in money. But since that's impossible, I'll just be moseying along…" the young man waved good bye and started walking away as the girl rushed past him._

"_I'll be back with them gems!"_

…

Tamahome sighed. He thought this was going to be more interesting. He started flipping through the book until the middle of the book when he saw something. Ling.

"_Ling. My name is Ling." The girl answered. _

"_Ling? That sound like a guy's name…"_

….

This was exactly what he said and did in that place! What the hell was going on? He was surrounded by light one last time, 'Not again. I'm really getting tired of all this light.'

"Tamahome!"

* * *

Miaka closed the restroom door and started making her way back to her room. She stopped when she was in front of Tamahome's door.

'Hmm… I wonder if he's asleep. He sure did sleep early today.'

Miaka opened the door and saw a bright light engulf her son.

"Tamahome!"

She rushed toward the bed and saw The Universe of the Four Gods laying innocently on the bed.

"You- You- You damn book!" was all she could say. She picked up the book and started to read from where it last left off.

* * *

Tamahome could feel himself falling, the wind going through his hair. Then finally he hit the earth on all fours. His knees and palm of his hands throbbing with pain. He opened his eyes, and there, staring up at him with gorgeous eyes barely waking up from her mid-day nap, was Ling. Tamahome gulped nervously. This wasn't exactly the best position to be in. Literally. Ling looked down at his shirtless body and back up to his face turning as red as a tomato. Then she punched him in the face without a second thought and quickly got up with a fighter's pose. Tamahome recoiled in pain and was lying on the floor grabbing his nose.

"I do many jobs but this isn't part of my services!" shrieked Ling getting even redder.

"I ust ell! It asn't my ault!" _(I just fell! It wasn't my fault!) _said Tamahome with tears in his eyes.

"You fell?" asked Ling suspiciously. "Where'd you fall from-" She stopped talking immediately as her eyes traced the necklace around Tamahome's neck. Her eyes widened and her mind suddenly thought back to the picture that her uncle always kept on him. "Hurry, come with me," she demanded excitedly grabbing Tamahome's arm and lifting him up.

"No way! I'm not going anywhere with you!" cried Tamahome indignantly as Ling tugged at him.

Ling gave him a very dirty look. "You might not know about any of this but countries have been looking for you, and just because you possess that necklace around your neck," she said pointing at his chest. Tamahome looked down and stared back up with a very confused expression.

"Huh? Where am I anyway?"

"You're in the outskirts of Konan. Out in the country. Please. Just come with me. It's not safe for you to be out here by yourself. My uncle will know what to do with you…"

"Your uncle?"

"Yes. I'll escort you there myself, free of charge, to my uncle Tasuki."

Hey! It took a long ass time to post it up but it's finally up so quit complaining. If I don't get any reviews then this story will stop on the next chapter. I'll just write that Ling and Tamahome were on their way to Tasuki's house and a couple of wolves came out and ate them. Yup. SO U BETTER REVIEW. See you next chapter.

**No she won't… I won't let her… but really… she's right…we would really appreciate more reviews…**

I swear…I'll kill Ling and Tamahome…they will mysteriously trip, fall, and break their necks. And that will be the end of that.

**Shut up. Thanks again for reading! See you next time!**


	4. Childhood

Hello everybody! Seems as though we updated faster than we thought we would! Hope you enjoy the chapter! It's more informational than anything.

**It's all about Ling! Hope this clears some stuff for everyone!**

The rain pounded the rooftop of the orphanage. Another cold night. You can see the breaths of all the little kids that pilled up on each other, trying to get some sort of warmth that they haven't felt since summer.

"Ling!"

Grey eyes looked for hazel-green.

"Yes?" a tiny voice made an older woman with grey hair turn to see a four old Ling.

"There you are! I was looking all over for you! Come here!"

Ling stepped away from the "warm" huddle of kids and walked to the old lady, the crisp air making her skin get goose bumps.

"I know you are only four but you are turning five next month… That will make you the oldest here…"

Ling wrapped her arms around herself and listened without interrupting.

"Now I don't usually keep kids here that are older than five, but I thought that with you here… Well, I thought that maybe you can help me somehow…" The grey haired lady took Ling into her arms, "Will you be willing to take care of everything here for me? You see I have something that I really have to do and well I can't go with twenty four-three year olds…"

Ling nodded silently not looking at the women straight in the face.

"Good! I'll get my stuff so that I can go right now!" She pushed Ling away and ran to the door, "I'll be back in an hour or two!" A brush of cold air and the woman was gone.

Ling had been staying here at the orphanage for the last three months and it was always like this. She had to learn how to feed twenty kids one piece of bread and how to have the best time that she can in these types of conditions. But she was tired of this. It was time to leave and hit the streets. Just like any other kids older than five. Some girls had gotten adopted by shady looking guys, but anything was better than this.

Her mom had left here. Told her that she was going to go see a friend and that she would be back in an hour to pick her up. That was the last time she saw her mother. Ling never found out exactly what happened, and she didn't want to know.

Five hours later. The old lady came back through the door. She had probably been out drinking. Again.

The grey-eyed lady crept inside two room house. She tip toed around the children scattered around the floor asleep and made her way to the other room in the house. Her room. As she went inside the room and finally closed the door, Ling's eyes snapped open.

Ling's eyes started watering as she glanced around the room, "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." Her heart jumped to her throat as one of the little kids woke up and grabbed her ankle. She wiggled her foot free and mouthed goodbye at the little girl. A tear slipped down her face as she opened the door and the cold air came into the room. "Goodbye, everyone," Ling whispered, stepping out and shutting the door. She held herself as the chill air entrapped her all over.

She didn't know where to go. It was very cold and her only warmth was a worn-out tunic. She walked and walked around the small village, and ended up behind a decrepit building. She laid on the hard, sordid, floor, and awaited morning.

The light was the first thing that had awoken her, that and the rat crawling about ten feet away from her. She jumped up abruptly and hit a garbage container. She spotted a piece of stale bread and didn't think twice on stuffing it in her mouth.

After her "breakfast," she started walking out of her village. Many people were up about their business, going to the market or with fishing poles, but still giving her warm smiles. She was a cute four- year old girl. Dirty, but cute. She finally reached the edge of the village that trailed off into a forest. What did she do now? If she went in, she might get lost and die in there.

"Woah there! You might wanna get out of the way before ol' OrangeNose tramples ya!"

Ling turned around to see a horse pulling a wagon coming her way.

"Woah OrangeNose! Heel girl, heel!" She stopped right in front of Ling. An old man unable to be seen behind the beast's head turned sideways to face Ling. "Need a lift sonny?" he said squinting. Boy, this man was old, but Ling took her chances and hopped on next to man.

"Giddy up OrangeNose!"

It would've been quite a long walk for Ling by herself. On the wagon, it was about two hours. They stopped halfway to let OrangeNose drink some water in a stream, and the old man unveiled what was in his wagon—oranges. They ate a couple, Ling had to peel them and it made her finger prick with pain from the acid juice. But it was still good, and the old man, Meng, was very nice to her.

"So, sonny. Decided to start livin' on your own? That's pretty darn good! When I first fled the coop I was only-"

Blah. But beside the boring talk, he took her all the way to the next town. It was much, much bigger too. Qu Dong. My new home.

"Okay there sonny, be good, and make an honest work's livin'!"

"Bye Meng!" She waved as the old man led OrangeNose toward another part of town. This seemed like a very secure place to be. Guards had stopped them at the entrance and Meng had shown them his passport and said she was his grandson. Ling blushed when the guards eyed her, but they got through just fine. Now she had to go and find a place to sleep at. She toured the town by herself. She found the market place and surreptitiously grabbed an apple without anyone looking. Honest work. Blah.

She walked until she saw the palace. And what a palace it was! It looked so much more fancier than anything she had ever seen before! There were many guards surrounding the whole palace, but it looked rand and the temples were so glorious!

"Pretty awesome, huh?

Ling jumped at the sound of a man's voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. By the way you're looking at the palace, I can tell you're new here," said a man with beautiful green eyes and light brown hair tied in the back-or so it appeared. "You're quite young. May I ask why you're here?"

Ling looked at the man, thinking whether or not to tell him. It wasn't any of his business. She opened her mouth and slowly closed it. What was she doing here? She was so stupid. What would she do now? She should have never left the orphanage.

"If you don't want to tell me, that's fi-" the man stopped short. Ling held up her small hands into the man's shirt and had begun to cry on him.

"I-I'm s-so so-o-o-or-r-y!" she said through uncontrollable sobs. "I-I-I should h-have ne-ne-ver left!"

The man looked down at the little girl tightly holding his shirt. She was so cute, and his heart seemed to melt even more as she wept.

"It's okay. Come on. Lets go eat something." They didn't go very far. They walked to a small area filled with trees. The man holding the girl by her hand. They sat down where they still had a view of the palace, and the man grabbed his bag from his back and took out two containers.

"Here," he said handing both containers to Ling. "You can eat mine too."

Ling looked at the two box-shaped containers and grabbed them uncertainly.

"I hope you like it. I made it myself."

Ling opened the lid and saw rice and pieces of meat on top of it. She grabbed it with her hands and ate it, sniffing and tearing up more from the stranger's kindness. Halfway through her meal, he saw the man reach into his bag. She twitched nervously and was ready to flee when he brought out a flute.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you or anything," he chuckled seeing Ling's surprised reaction. He pulled the flute closer in to his lips and began to play a slow and mellifluous tune. Ling felt joyful and as if her past worries had melted away. She didn't know how long the man kept on playing, but went he stopped she felt the hard slap of reality across her face.

"Now then, if you want to spill your troubles on to me, I would be more than happy to listen. May I trouble you for your name?"

"L-ling. My name is Ling Xue. And y-yours?"

"So she does speak! And she asks for my name! Such honor!"

Ling giggled at the man's last retort.

"My name is Wu Kang-De, but everyone calls me Amiboshi."

"A-a-amiboshi?"

"Yes, do you want to tell me what the matter, miss?" he said with the most charming smile Ling had ever received. Ling looked at him once more with her very desolate eyes. She opened her little mouth and instead of words coming out, she sniffled.

Amiboshi chuckled once again and began to put the items back into his bag. He grabbed the containers and his flute and gently placed it inside. When he finished he patted the bag and looked at her a little more seriously.

"How about I ask you the questions and you answer them? I just can't leave you here. Would that be okay?" Ling nodded.

"How old are you?"

"Four. I turn five in a couple of weeks," she said fiddling with her hands.

"Oh. You're still very young. Where's your home village?"

"Tankka Village. The village on the outskirts of Qu Dong. And that's the palace over there. I-isn't it?" she asked pointing a finger to the magnificent structure.

"It is, Ling." Ling twitched at the sound of her name. Amiboshi smiled. "Seiryū, the protector of Kutō, resides in there with all its glory." He stated admiringly. Ling looked at his face. He seemed to have forgotten about her for a second but quickly turned to her and continued his questioning.

"Where do you plan on staying now that you're here?"

Ling frowned. Back to the same question she had asked herself before. Where would she stay? "I dunno. I was planning to stay near a park or something tonight then continue tomor-"

"Absolutely not! You can't stay in the streets alone! Lets go to the shelter right now," he said standing up and motioning her to do the same. "They take care of kids until someone adopts them…"

Ling had stood up but stopped listening to what Amiboshi had said after shelter. No. Not another shelter. She looked down at her small, bare feet, not knowing how to phrase what she wanted to say.

"Come on, Ling. I'll take you to the shelter," said Amiboshi stretching out his hand. Ling twitched again at the sound of her name and ignored his hand.

"No. I don't want to go to a shelter. I just came from one and… and…."

She clenched her fist trying to repress her tears, without any luck.

"I-I-I-I-I want to make an h-h-honest work's living! Just like M-m-m-meng said! I-I want to work a-a-and earn my own money without s-s-s-stealing and buy m-m-my own house and have my own g-g-g-garden and…and…" Ling stopped and tears started to heavily spill onto her face, leaving clean streaks on her dirty face. Her hands tried to cover her sobs and eyes, but nothing could stifle her sadness. She hadn't even noticed when Amiboshi had picked her up and wrapping his arms around her, gently patting her back.

"It's okay Ling. God, I can't believe you're keeping it all bottled up inside…"

It took several minutes for Ling to finally calm down to a sniff. Amiboshi put her down softly and tapped her head. Ling looked up at him through puffy eyes and turn red from having lost control in front of an almost-stranger.

"Honest-work's living, eh? Well, if you don't want to go to a shelter and you definitely won't go back to where you came from," he smiled as Ling rigorously shook her head. "Then come with me." Ling's eyes opened wide. Amiboshi laughed.

"I know you barely know me, and I know my home isn't as great as the palace for such a fine little miss, but I can give you a roof over your head, in exchange for chores, of course," he said kneeling down to her and grinning. "How 'bout it?"

Now Ling and Amiboshi were staring eye to eye. Was he serious? No one had ever been so kind to her.

"I-I don't want to intrude-"

"So it's settled! You're coming with me!" he exclaimed standing up, thrusting his bag over his shoulder, and grabbing her hand. "On to Sodako village!"

Both of them started to walk on. Amiboshi had started to ramble on about his village. Ling was a very mature girl for her age. Inside she was mixed with emotions and didn't know what to feel or expect for the future. All she had wanted for a long time was to have a friend; someone to love her and take care of her. Now, Amiboshi was the person who had given her what she wanted in a very short period of time, and all she wanted to do now was-

"Thank you."

"-huh?" said Amiboshi looking down at Ling. She had stopped walking and quietly interrupted what he had been saying.

Ling looked down at the floor, and slowly up at him. Her eyes had began to water again as she repeated herself.

"Thank you for giving me a home, a-and taking me in. I promise to be the best helper you will ever have." She clutched his hand a little tighter.

"No problem Ling. I told you we would work through this. You just have to be a little tougher. No crying. If you want to make an honest work's living, you can't cry. You have to be strong." Ling smiled and he firmly gripped her hand.

"Onward!" he yelled out pulling her forward. "By the way, who's Meng?"

Amiboshi smiled confusedly as the little girl's giggle echoed through his ears.

_Four Years Later_

The sun shone brightly on a new morning. A nine-year old Ling danced through a small garden of flowers picking out the prettiest and taking out the weeds infesting the dirt. She had grown quite a bit taller since she was four, and her feminine features were blossoming with every coming day. She stood up and brushed the dirt of her loose pants underneath her knee-length, white tunic. She secured the flowers through the green satin wrapped around her clothes, and raced off out of the fields to Amiboshi's house. She saw the small building closer, and closer to her with a very frantic Amiboshi waving at her. She stopped right in front of him and frowned when he saw his worried face.

"What's wrong Amiboshi?"

"Ling! It's nearly sunset and I haven't seen you since hours ago!" he exclaimed looking a little relieved. "Come on in."

"I got some flowers!" she took the flowers from her waist and showed them to Amiboshi.

"They're really nice. That garden seems to be coming out nicely huh? Have the vegetables come out yet?" He walked to the corner of the house and started making a fire.

"No not yet. Maybe in a month or two they'll be ready!"

"That'd be nice. We can make a huge feast and get the villagers nearby to come."

Ling pulled up her hair and tied it into a bun. Amiboshi had stayed in the other room and had begun to play a sweet tune on the flute. Ling walked into the kitchen and smelled the syrupy smell of curry float in the air.

'He started dinner,' she thought. It was always delicious when Amiboshi made it, but always said that he was tired of his own and preferred Ling's. She brought out two bowls and spooned out some food for both of them. Carefully, she placed them on a wooden tray and made her way out and into the other room where Amiboshi sat. His elbows where perched on the table, his flute on his lips, but quickly pulled them away when Ling entered with the hot food. The last note he played hung softly in the air and left Ling filling quite mellow.

Amiboshi looked at the food and smiled at her. "I hope you like it. I wanted to have it done before you came from heaven knows where."

"I'm sorry. I wanted to pick out some flowers to look festive for tomorrow. Are you excited to be turning twenty-eight tomorrow?" she asked. She scooped up some of the curry with her spoon and slowly savored it. She looked up at Amiboshi for his response.

"I am excited. Will you be cooking for me tomorrow?"

"Yes!" exclaimed Ling. She had it all planned out. A big breakfast, a walk to the market where the villagers had something planned for him. Amiboshi was, after all, the kindest and most respected man in the village. His parents had died years ago in a village feud, but left their reputation on their son. Amiboshi had told Ling that he had been adopted too, and after his parents' deaths he had been left this house and the kind villagers who had loved his parents. This year they were planning to throw him a ceremony, and in the evening both would return home where Ling would make him a special dinner while he relaxed playing his flute. The perfect birthday.

"Are you alright Ling?" asked Amiboshi curiously seeing that Ling had been daydreaming.

"Oh, yes. I was just thinking on what to make you tomorrow."

"Don't work yourself too hard. It can't be an honest work's living if the work and pay isn't balanced," he said standing up and clearing the finished plates.

"I don't mind. Are you going to sleep early?"

"I think I am. I helped out the villagers at the market today and I'm tired," he said trying to hold back a yawn. "Are you okay with that?"

"Yes," lied Ling. She wanted him to stay up like other times and play the flute until she fell asleep. "I'll go to bed too." She stood up and saw Amiboshi edge closer and grab her hand.

"Well in that case…" Amboshi put his other hand on her waist and pulled her up over his shoulder. Ling started to giggle uncontrollably as he twirled her around walking to her room.

"I-I-I'm not little a-a-anymore," she said through her laughs. Amiboshi chuckled and gently placed her on her bed. He stepped back and said, "Don't stay up to late, 'kay? Sweet dreams."

He gave one last look at her and closed the door. She waited until she heard him go inside his room to get out off her clothes and into the ones she used to sleep in. She snuggled inside and soon after heard Amiboshi's serene tune flow into the air. The villagers saved up quite a lot of money for this ceremony. She couldn't wait for tomorrow.

Ling woke up early the next day and put on the white tunic she had on the day before with the green sash. She entered the kitchen and finished breakfast just as she heard Amiboshi open the door to his room. Everything was placed on the table; she quickly undid her bun and let her hair fall on her back. She grabbed one of the flowers sitting on the tables. Light yellow, to bring out her eyes. She was perhaps the prettiest little girl right then and there. Amiboshi walked into the room and smiled at her.

"Happy Birthday!" She ran towards him and gave him a hug and smiled as he wrapped his arms around her.

"This food looks delicious! I can't wait to start eating!" he let go of her and sat down at the table.

"You think that all the time when it comes to food," Ling served him a plate of all the things that she had made for breakfast.

"That's not true, only when it comes to the food that you make. We should get you a job to be a chef at the palace. That way you can make a lot of money and-" Amiboshi said with his face stuffed with food.

Ling laughed, "But then you wouldn't be able to eat the food that I make."

Amiboshi frowned, "That's true, huh? Never mind you stay here with me forever!"

A comfortable silence settled in the room as both ate quietly and peacefully.

"Amiboshi?"

"Yes?"

"I want to tell you something…"

"What is it?"

She took a deep breath and thought of all the fatherly things that he had done for her. She blushed as she began, "I love y-"

CRASH

Men circled all around them as Amiboshi quickly got up and hurried Ling to get behind him. One of them men saw and grabbed Ling by the arm and pulled her.

"No! Leave her alone!" cried Amiboshi as he went towards the man and got kicked down.

All the men had knives in their hands and out of the corner of Ling's eyes she could see two of the women villagers with bruised eyes in the hands of the men.

"We heard that one of you guys was havin' a party." 

"Yeah, it's not so good to bring so much money to a town run by bandits."

The men joked and started things off of shelves in Amiboshi's house.

"Pretty girls here too, I wonder if we can make any profit off the young one there," said a man running his eyes up and down Ling.

"Couldn't agree with you more, boss!"

The man that had eyed Ling walked closer to her and roughly caressed Ling's cheek. She turned her head and bit his dirty hand as hard as she could.

"OW! You insolent little-" He raised his knife up high and it came plunging down on Ling. She shut her eyes tightly and awaited her death.

"NO!"

She opened her eyes and would've wished she never had. In front of her, on his knees, was Amiboshi with the knife coming out of his chest.

Her mind went numb as blood started seeping through his wound and mouth. His empty eyes looked at her for the last time.

She opened her mouth but nothing came out as tears ran down her face.

Yay! We're done! It was so hard to write but we are finally done!

**Next chapter we will come back to Tamahome!**

Please review and let us know what you think.

**Oh and just in case you forgot Amiboshi is one of the ****Seiryū celestial warriors but his mind was erased by his brother. So he didn't know how to fight with the flute…**

Since the time that Miaka and Taka left the book, the time in the book and the real world flow together. If that makes any sense…

**Thanks again for reading! Please review!**


	5. The Royal Truth

Well, I hope you like this chapter. I'm kinda losing ideas, so if you have any suggestions…Our anonymous reviews were disabled but now they're enabled so EVERYONE can review! _You better…_

"'_Yes. I'll escort you there myself, free of charge, to my uncle Tasuki' said the girl named Ling taking the boy by the hand,_" Miaka read the phrase and paused to think.

TASUKI! This girl was taking Tamahome to Tasuki! Miaka quickly shut the book and ran out of Tamahome's room and into hers where Taka still laid asleep. She turned her gaze toward the clock on the drawer.

"Three o'clock. Damn," thought Miaka. "Should I wake him up?"

She touched the edge of the book. What will happen to him? She looked at Taka again.

"M-miaka…" mumbled Taka. Miaka jumped at the sound of his voice and quickly tip-toed to his side. He was still asleep.

"M-miaka…do it again…yes, _that,_" said Taka in his sleep with a wide grin.

Miaka frowned and punched his stomach. "WAKE UP YOU PERV!"

"OW!" yelped Tamahome clenching his stomach still half-asleep. "What was _that_ for?" He was looking at Miaka with very groggy eyes.

"Believe me, you don't wanna know," she said with an irritated face. "I have something serious to talk to you about-"

"If you're hungry, go make it yourself," said Taka angrily sliding back underneath the covers.

Miaka could no longer contain her worry. "It's about T-tamahome. He's in the b-b-book," she said sliding the book in with Taka.

He quickly grabbed the book and opened it. "'_The strange girl kept on pulling Tamahome, making him run faster. They had finally made it out of the market. Tamahome pulled his hand roughly away and stopped'_—MIAKA! How could this have happened! He told us everything was alright—"

"Yes, I know, but we can't exactly ask him, can we."

"Give me your hand."

"Huh?" said Miaka, tilting her head confusedly.

"Let's go in with him! I bet we can try! I mean, how did you get in here the second and third time around?"

"W-well, I just really wanted to see you, and protect Konan…I guess it's worth a shot."

Miaka slipped her hand into Taka's. They both closed their eyes and his voice crept slowly into Miaka's ears.

"Just think of Tamahome. How much he needs us now…just _want_ it…"

A couple of minutes passed. Taka's grip on Miaka had tightened from the nerves.

"Nothing's happening, Taka."

Taka opened his eyes and saw Miaka's sad ones staring into his. He couldn't take Miaka's sadness. The best he could do now was hold her close to him. She didn't hesitate at all.

"We'll figure something out," cooed Taka.

Miaka broke the embrace and a smile slowly filled her face. "This girl, _Ling_, she's taking Tamahome to Tasuki…"

Taka's eyes widened. "Really? Oh God. _Tamahome…"

* * *

_

"Ling…_Ling_! Are we almost there?" whined Tamahome, pouting like a little kid.

"Huh? Oh…yeah! We're almost there! We just have to go to the end of this village. Uncle Tasuki lives in the far country-side."

"Your uncle Tasuki, eh? IF you live all the way over here, what were you doing back there in that hut?" asked Tamahome looking around the village they were passing. Ling had told him to put his necklace in his pants for safekeeping. She said it would cause a commotion if people knew he was here. Tamahome hadn't understood, but he did it without complaining. Now, everyone was staring at his bare chest. Most of the girls, and some guys, were drooling and blushing from his muscular, yet lean, shape. The folks seemed happy. Poor, but happy.

"What do you mean—oh! There it is!" she yelled pointing to a big cabin at the far end of the terrain. She started running, leaving Tamahome in the back.

"Wait for me!" He said walking as fast as he could. The big cabin they were approaching had a beautiful garden surrounding it in the front and the windows were open to let the fresh air in. Tamahome started to run once he saw that Ling was now knocking on the door.

"Wait!" Tamahome yelled. Ling looked back and blushed when she remembered that she had come here for a reason and not just to visit.

"Sorry! Hurry the hell up already!" She shouted right as the man that Tamahome had seen when he was first in the book slammed the door.

"Stop that yellin'! Can't you see that we're trying to eat!" Tasuki roared.

"Sorry Uncle, but something- no someone came, and, _well_… why don't you take a look at him?" Ling pointed to Tamahome who had finally gotten to the house huffing and puffing.

Tasuki stared and stared, so he wasn't dreaming yesterday when he thought that he had seen Tamahome. "Tama-boy? That really you? How come ya don't have a shirt on? " Tasuki looked at his uncovered chest and reached out, pulling him into a hug and giving him a noogie. "Where's M-"

Tamahome pulled away, "Why do you keep calling me that? Who are you?"

"What do ya mean? Ya don't remember me? And why do you look so young?" asked Tasuki looking up and down at Tamahome. Ling had slowly crept away from them and went inside the house.

Tamahome peered at the man slightly irritated, "The only time that I have ever seen you was at that field yesterday."

"Wait, yer name _is_ Taka, right? You were _once_ Tamahome—" Tasuki suddenly got worried. Did all their hard work of trying to get his memories back suddenly backfire?

"…Taka is my _dad's _name…my name's Tamahome," said Tamahome, suddenly confused.

"Huh?" Tasuki said scratching his orange hair.

"My dad has _always_ been _Taka_. I'm confused," said Tamahome staring into Tasuki's bright eyes.

"Well, that makes two of us."

"Tasuki! You BUM! Mama's food is gettin' cold! Get your ass in here before I drag it in!" a loud voice erupted from inside the house making both Tasuki and Tamahome jump. Tasuki opened the door wide enough to let Tamahome in. Then he turned around and went in yelling, "I'm goin' there ya old hag! Honestly that's why I hate wemen!"

Tasuki walked into the house and left Tamahome feeling a little uneasy. He gradually walked inside and headed towards what looked like a living room but immediately regretted the decision. Two young women looked at him and dropped the tray that they had been carrying, blushing heavily. They went up to his side and started flirting with the shirtless young Tamahome.

"Oh! Dear me!"

"Oh, how does stupid Tasuki know such a fine gentleman like you?"

"Yeah, Tasuki you never said that we were going to have comp'ny! Such _cute _comp'ny…" one of the women started massaging his neck.

"You seem so stressed. Come, I'll make feel _so_ much better."

Tamahome turned red and slowly backed away and bumped into Ling. In her arms she carried a bundle of men's clothes and laughed when she saw how red Tamahome was.

"Is red your natural skin tone or something? You turn red a lot…," she asked as she pushed him into a room and threw the clothes at him. "Now change. We might as well eat dinner here, so hurry up!"

It took quite a while, and everyone was waiting in the dining room.

"What da hell is takin' Tamaboy so long?"

"Oh shut up Tasu—my word! Aren't you the handsome devil!" squeaked Tasuki's sister. Tasuki, his sisters, his mom, and even Ling were all gawking at the sight of the new Tamahome.

He had a green cross-collared shirt with a black waist belt, (which only brought out his amazing eyes even more) and simple black pants with black cotton shoes. He was now the spitting image of Taka.

"Tamaboy! You took forever! Come sit next to me!" guided Tasuki. Tamahome reluctantly followed, still feeling red in the face. The women were still staring and for some reason, when he looked at Ling, she quickly stared down at her food.

"Well then, lets begin'!" cried Tasuki. Pork, beef, and chicken was passed around, and Tamahome thought that the vegetable soup was the best he had ever had.

"Why thank you dearie!" exclaimed Tasuki's mom. "The recipe has been passed down from generation to generation." The large woman stood up and walked over to Tamahome, resting her colossal boobs on top of Tasuki. "Would you like some more soup?"

"Uh…" mumbled Tamahome.

"Ged…off…meeee…"

"Oh! Sorry Tasuki, darling! My eyesight's not as good as it used to be."

Everyone laughed as Tasuki gasped for air.

"Goodnight Tamaboy!" giggled one of Tasuki's sisters, hugging Tamahome.

"See ya in the mornin'!" cooed another.

"Ged out a here ya ol' hags!" yelled Tasuki, shooing his sisters and ignoring their dirty looks. Only Ling, Tasuki, and Tamahome remained in the living room with a candle lighting the room.

"Now then, Tamaboy—"

"My name is Tamahome."

"You see, I don't quite understand that Tamaboy. Your name's Tamahome, and your dad's name's Taka. Is he married to a girl named Miaka?"

"Yes!" breathed Tamahome. They were finally starting to understand each other! But his mom wasn't a _girl_ anymore.

"So…Taka never told ya…"

"Told me what?" asked Tamahome with a raised eyebrow.

An uncomfortable silence fell across the room. Ling was sitting on the floor twirling one of the waist-long braids attached to her buns. Uncle Tasuki had told her the story. It was just one of those things they talked about when they were out in the fields together picking vegetables. He had told her about the man who bore the sign of the ogre on his forehead and the priestess who fell in love with him, and the wave of deaths befallen on the country of Konan.

"You might as well tell him," muttered Ling. Her eyes were fixed on a single spot on the floor. "He has a right to know."

"Know what? Is there something you know about my parents and I don't?" asked Tamahome nervously. This was starting to go down a path he didn't want to take.

"Calm down Tamaboy. They ain't killers or anythin'," chuckled Tasuki, "They're the opposite damn it! They're the saviors of Konan!"

"Please tell me everything."

"So, my dad, _Taka_, used to be Tamahome, but when he was reborn into my world he came back as someone different?"

"More or less."

It had taken about an hour to get the short version of Taka's and Miaka's lives. An hour filled with descriptions, bewilderment and questions. A lot of questions. Ling had gotten up to make tea, while Tasuki buried his face into his hands, apparently bored from talking about Tamahome's parents.

"And my mom was the Priestess of Su..Su.."

"Suzaku dammit! Sheez I risk my life an' all for this ignorance," yelped Tasuki. "Well, we're done with da basics. And now we go to the matter of why you're actually here."

"Finally," murmured Ling. "That's why we came here in the first place! Show him your necklace Tamahome."

"Uh, sure. I left my jeans—"

"Your who?" asked Ling.

"Never mind."

Tamahome paced out of the room. Ling looked up at Tasuki who stared back at her.

"Da boy doesn't even know his history. What was Taka thinking in not tellin' him?"

"I dunno he surely doesn't have a clue that—"

"Here it is," breathed Tamahome, gliding into the room with the necklace falling in place above the green collared shirt.

"So ya do 'ave the imperial crest. And Taka's son, out of all people. Let me put it down quick an' easy for you: Konan has no ruler at the moment," started Tasuki motioning with his hands.

"Because the prince fled from his duties, he refused to be the emperor," said Ling. Tamahome turned to her and thought this was all still confusing. How did he get stuck doing this?

"Right. An' the empress is fatally ill," finished Tasuki.

"Oh, yeah. You explained that the emperor of Konan was named Hotohori. Also a celestial warrior that helped out my mom?" asked Tamahome, finally hoping he got it.

Ling looked at Tamahome who was still looking at Tasuki. His jaw line was perfect; his hair was somewhat long falling neatly on his neck. She frowned. Would he actually go through with it?

"Exactly!" exclaimed Tasuki. Do you remember the woman I told ya about, Tai Yi- Jun?"

"God of Heaven? She also helped my mom—"

"No! Well…yeah…but she's also the scary ol' hag!" Tasuki sighed and returned to Tamahome. "She prophesized that the next ruler of Konan would arrive from unknown lands wearin' the crest of Suzaku. An' if you haven't noticed you are here from another world wearing' the damn necklace."

"But it doesn't mean anything! My father just bought it for me for my birthday! It's not—"

"Spineless! That's what you are!" yelled Ling drowning out Tamahome's voice.

"Keep it down!" whispered Tasuki. He sighed again. "Look, we need a ruler; countries are going to war to gain control over Konan. Villages are being wiped out and innocent people are dyin'. We ain't askin' you to be the king. Just go visit the empress."

Tamahome stared at the floor, refusing to look at either Tasuki or Ling.

"Lets get some sleep. You can sleep in my room, I'll sleep here," pointed Tasuki to the living room. Ling got up and walked over to another room. "An' don't let her bother you. She's hardheaded."

Ten minutes later, Tamahome laid on Tasuki's bunk, thinking about what to do tomorrow. Should he visit the empress?

"I can't go back to mom and dad," he thought, "I might as well decline politely." Sleep came faster after having decided on a plan.

"Darlin'! Breakfast is ready!"

Tamahome woke up and felt confused. It took him a while to remember that he wasn't in Japan, but in a world inside a book. He sleepily walked over to the window in Tasuki's room. The sun was shining beautifully across the garden. He could just barely make out a figure walking slowly closer. It was Ling tending the garden. He watched her for a couple of minutes. She was wearing a red, knee-length collared garment, and her hair was in a bun with waves flowing beneath it. She casually looked over to the window and frowned at Tamahome, then walked off with a bunch of flowers in her arms.

Tamahome turned around and changed into the clothes from yesterday. He had made a choice. After breakfast he would make his way to the heart of Konan.

"Good mornin' Tamaboy!"

"Good morning Tasuki."

"Sidown an' eat child!" urged Tasuki's mom. She brought over a bowl of white-looking goo and placed it in front of Tamahome. To his surprise, it was actually sweet and good.

"It's tree fungus," smirked Tasuki.

* * *

"Hey Tasuki," whispered Tamahome. He walked over to the living room with Tasuki right behind him. 

"What is it Tamaboy?"

"I've decided to go visit the empress. I want to get things straightened out."

"That's great! I've wanted to find an' excuse to leave outta here! I'll get everything ready and we'll leave by noon. It's not that far from here to the palace. The trouble's gonna be gettin' in," Tasuki muttered to himself. "I bet I'm well known. I _am_ a celestial warrior an' all," he gloated.

"Do you think Ling will come, too?"

"Ling? I dunno. She's off being her moody self as always."

"Do you know where she's at?"

"Sure, 'bout a ten minute walk from here. The lake near the forest. Be careful tho'."

Tamahome walked out of the house with a container filled with lunch that Tasuki's mom had given to him to eat with Ling.

He rather enjoyed the walk. Tasuki's sisters had explained how all the farm land belonged to their family. It was beautiful, and up ahead he could see the familiar rows of apple trees. He made a turn where Tasuki had instructed him to, and up ahead he could hear frogs croaking. He cautiously walked on so not to startle Ling. He hid behind a couple of bushes and was amazed to find Ling crouched over the lake—praying. The flowers she had picked were on her lap. Tamahome was a second away from walking up to her when he spotted a tear slide down her face and into the pond; creating tiny ripples. This sight of her made him feel a sense of longing. He wanted to go up to her and ask her what was wrong, but then again, he didn't know anything about her.

He saw Ling wipe her eyes with the back of her hands. Now was the perfect time to go to her and pretend he hadn't seen anything.

"Ling?" he asked with as much innocence as he could muster.

"Huh?" turned Ling. "Oh." She returned to the lake, taking one of the flowers and placing it gently in the water.

"I came here to tell you that I will be going to the palace." Ling looked up at him doubtfully.

"What made you change your mind?"

"I dunno. I'm still a bit confused, but after hearing how this country is suffering, I'm willing to do something."

"We don't need your pity." Ling placed the last of the flowers in the water.

"No, but I want to help."

A moment of silence passed. Ling looked intently into the lake, and Tamahome didn't know what to do.

All of a sudden he remembered the packed lunch.

"OH! Here, Tasuki's mom wanted me to give this to you. I already ate, so you can have mine, too," he said with a wide grin.

Ling looked up at him and his outstretched hands with the container. She slowly grabbed it but quickly turned away, although Tamahome could have sworn he saw her smile.

* * *

"Ya ready Tamaboy?" 

"Yeah," stammered Tamahome, clutching the strap of the backpack Tasuki's mom had prepared for the trip.

"Thanks so much for letting me stay here," said Ling to Tasuki's mom and sisters.

"Yeah, me too," repeated Tamahome. "Thank you for your hospitality," he said bowing.

"What a sweet youn' thing!" bellowed Tasuki's mom grabbing Tamahome by the wrists and pulling him to a tight embrace. Tamahome hadn't been prepared to be smashed into her colossal bosoms. He didn't know which way to turn.

"Uh…uh…"

"Ma! Let 'im go!" urged Tasuki.

"Aw, let her hug him. It's not every day we get a handsome young man in the house!" squealed Tasuki's sister.

"That's right!" giggled the other.

"Be careful," warned Tasuki's mom. "If anyone ever finds out who yer are..."

They made their way out of Tasuki's lands and into the main road. Tamahome trudged on behind Tasuki who was talking on and on about Suzaku, the empire, and the old days. Their first stop would be the village overlooking the fields. They made their way through the markets with busy people minding their business. Tasuki led them all the way to a stable and told them to wait outside.

"What's he doing?" asked Tamahome.

"Getting us horses," stated Ling bluntly. "I need to make me some money. This little trip is going to make me put a hold on my money-making business!"

"Well sorry," muttered Tamahome under his breath. He looked at Ling who was twirling a braid. He smiled. He was happy she came with him.

"Got da horses!" yelled Tasuki in Tamahome's ear.

"Ah! Don't do that dammit!"

Tamahome rode a black mare, while Tasuki and Ling both rode brown ones. Tasuki said that with the horses they would make it to the palace in less than two hours.

* * *

"Should we go tell Yui and Tetsuya?" asked Miaka. 

"No. They don't need to get mixed up in our problems," replied Taka. The Universe of the Four Gods was still clutched tightly in his hands. They decided to stop reading after the shock of Hotohori's son and their own son's fate. Would he go through with it?

"What about Tetsuya and my brother? They did a full-on research on the contents of this book. They probably know what's going on!"

Taka looked at the clock on the drawer: 5:42. Too early to wake them up.

"Let's wait a little while longer. Do you want me to make some coffee?"

"Ooh, yes! With some of those donuts we bought yesterday!"

"Our son is in danger and all you can think about is food?"

"Well you offered…"whined Miaka softly. She looked at Taka's face which was staring at the book. "Don't worry about him. If he's anything like us, he'll make it through."

"Ow!" screeched Tamahome. They had deviated from the road and taken a path through the woods. One of the branches from the trees had hit his face and frightend the horse; knocking him directly to the ground.

"Ow! Ass! Hurts!" he moaned rubbing his back.

"Are you okay?" asked Ling kneeling beside him and examining the cut from his forehead. "Ew. That looks gross." She took off the ribbon holding one of her buns together and wrapped it gently around his temples. "Is that better?"

"Y-yes, thank you," he responded, feeling a little odd. Ling had been so close to him, and could sense a caring feeling in her.

"Aw, man, you shoulda seen your face when you fell off da horse!" laughed Tasuki. Both his and Tamahome's horses' reigns were in his hands when suddenly a knife flew and missed Tasuki's ear by an inch.

"What the hell!" All three looked at the place where the knife had come from. Another knife barreled past Ling's thigh, then a person dressed in black jumped out of the bushes. The only thing visible was their green eyes.

"The next emperor of Konan must die!" a woman's voice yelled from behind her masked face. The woman jumped forward and raised a long blade.

"I will avenge my village!"

**OK… I'm guessing there might be some questions about the time differences in each world… Samarama you explain you said it…**

Well if anyone noticed, time has gone the same after Miaka left the world of The Universe of the Four Gods. Sixteen years have passed since they left the book, making Miaka 35 yrs old, or something like that. But now that Tamahome entered the book, the time difference has gone all screwy again. It's hard to explain, just use your imaginations! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and sorry for the wait. The next one will be up ASAP. Please review!

**I have the ages calculated!**

**Miaka: 15 (When she entered the book) 19 (When she had Tamahome) 35 (Now)**

**Taka: 17 (In the book when he was THE Tamahome) 21 (When Tamahome was born) 37 (Now)**

**Tamahome: 16**

**Ling: 9 (When Amiboshi died) 10 (When life changing moment happened it will be explained soon ) 15 (Now)**

**Tasuki: 17 (In the book when Miaka first appeared and Taka was Tamahome) 19 (When Miaka and **_**Taka**_** Was Tamahome but became Taka and they had to gather the little memory things entered the book the second time) 38 (Now)**

**Chichiri (He'll be coming soon:D) : 24 (In the book when Miaka first appeared and Taka was Tamahome) 27 ((When Miaka and **_**Taka**_** Was Tamahome but became Taka and they had to gather the little memory things entered the book the second time) 46 (Now)**

I don't now how the hell she got that, and I'm more confused than before. Hope you understand it, if not then just ask and we'll reply. Thanks for reading.


End file.
